


Michelangelo

by Kaye_Fraser



Series: Past Paramours and Future Lovers [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Massages, Text Messages, morning coffee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 17:49:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10724220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaye_Fraser/pseuds/Kaye_Fraser
Summary: Curiosity overtakes Magnus when he accidentally reads a text message on Alec's phone.





	Michelangelo

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, Friends!
> 
> Just thought I'd post this fun little oneshot. I'm thinking of continuing it into a series titled 'Past Paramours and Future Lovers'. Perhaps Casanova next. :D
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> Cheers,  
> K

_Series: Past Paramours and Future Lovers  
Part 1: Michelangelo_

(***) 

The whole thing started with a text. 

Normally, Magnus wouldn't have paid it any attention. After all, he was elbows deep in eyeballs - literally - trying to replenish his depleted supply of restorative potions. But when he heard the buzz again, he remembered that he'd left his phone out in the living room and not in his workroom, so he took a cursory glance around the nearby space. 

Alec's phone sat innocently on the chair in the corner. 

Magnus couldn't stop a smile from forming as images of why it had been forgotten there flashed through his head. Clumsily unzipped clothing, heated skin-on-skin contact, and some heavy groaning and grunting – Magnus always did have a soft spot for workbench sex. _And_ they'd managed to have the very satisfying quickie without his little Shadowhunter being late for work. If that didn't take skill, he didn't know what did. 

A pleasant heat saturated the inside of Magnus' chest at the memory. Sometimes, he wondered if he would ever get used to this feeling of contentment. With a lazy sigh, he wiped his hands off on a towel, and walked over to the forgotten phone. Two messages flashed on the lock screen. 

Magnus often considered himself a gentleman. In earlier centuries, that would mean opening doors for ladies, walking on the outside edge of the sidewalk, and even climbing stairs behind women in case their corsets and the gas lamps caused fainting spells. In this century, it meant respecting one another's cell phone privacy. 

Still, he couldn't stop from peering down at the contents of Alec's texts. He justified the action by telling himself that it might be urgent Shadowhunter business and any good boyfriend would relay that kind of information on right away – for the sake of saving lives and all that. 

[Can't meet up tonight. Reschedule for Thursday night?] 

The first message sounded benign enough. The sender was someone named Andy, who, he surmised, was likely a fellow Shadowhunter. Magnus swiped up a little to read the whole of the second message, also from Andy. 

[Can't wait to show you the beauty of a naked body.] 

If the message itself hadn't raised Magnus' suspicions, the three heart emojis after the words did. Alec wouldn't ... he couldn't ... No. 

Now, Magnus never thought he was the jealous type. And he had certainly outgrown the petty, possessive boyfriend persona back around the sixteenth or seventeenth century. So, he tried to read the messages from a logical, unemotional standpoint. 

It didn't exactly work. 

He was experiencing an odd combination curiosity, and surprise... and indeed, probably a little bit of jealousy. But no, he was above all that, he reminded himself, tempering down the confusing spectrum of emotions. He was a grown, _mature_ man, and so was Alec. He was confident that the Shadowhunter had a simple explanation for all this, and Magnus would be all the better for giving his boyfriend the benefit of the doubt. 

His mind made up, he placed the phone back down on the chair, and went back to focusing solely on his work. The eyeballs weren't going to de-vitreous themselves. 

(***) 

Magnus should've gone to bed. The digital display on his phone flashed 3:41 a.m. when he'd last checked it, and normally, he would've been sleeping by now, especially if he'd spent most of the day toiling away in his workroom. Yet, every time he told his body to get up and move, it just sat on the couch like a sack of potatoes – though much better dressed, of course. 

However, when he heard the jingle of keys and the telltale click of the lock, he scrambled to pick up the GQ magazine off the coffee table. By the time Alec stepped into the room, he was thumbing through this season's latest suiting trends while lounging casually on the sofa. 

"You're still up?" the younger man asked as he dropped his gear off by the door, pulled off his boots, and padded over to couch with a small smile. His jacket and shirt, both covered with dark blotches of some mysterious, dried-up substance, were ripped in several places, but Magnus saw unbroken skin underneath, so he could only assume Alec had healed himself up before coming home. 

"I couldn't sleep." Magazine thrown aside, Magnus shuffled over as the other man stepped around and plopped onto the cushion next to him. His weight shifted, and he slid closer to the warm, solid body of his exhausted looking boyfriend. 

"Well, that makes one of us," Alec said tiredly as he rubbed his eyes. "I feel like I could sleep for weeks." 

Fondness trickled through Magnus as he gestured for the Shadowhunter to change positions. Without needing further prompting, Alec moved until he was almost leaning back against Magnus' chest. Once comfortable, Magnus started working the tightness out of the other man's neck, his fingers digging into tense, unyielding muscle. Alec's groan was pleasure was almost too delicious not to take advantage of. 

_Almost_ . As Magnus had established, he was a gentleman. "Tough day, darling?" 

"You don't know the half of it." With each knot easing, Alec's body became more and more relaxed. "We encountered a new type of demon, I think. I've never seen them before. They look like wolves on steroids, vicious as hell, and smelled just as bad." 

Magnus wrinkled his nose. "Well, that explains your stench." 

"Hey, don't judge. It took three of us to take down just one; the other one put up a heck of a fight, but got away." 

Magnus slid his fingers down to work on Alec's upper back, and the younger man practically melted against him. "Hmm, from what you're describing, they sound like hellhounds. If I'm remembering the stories correctly, they usually keep to themselves, and are damn good trackers. If they've locked onto prey, they become singularly focused. They normally hunt in pairs, but if you've killed one of them, I would be careful." 

"Mmm-hmm." The sound was faint, barely audible. And when Magnus moved his hands away, Alec practically fell onto his chest with a soft snore. 

He stared down helplessly at his sleeping Shadowhunter for a moment. Well, so much for asking about the texts. 

He stood up and eased the other man into a more comfortable position on the sofa. With a bit of magical flourish, Alec's dirty clothes were removed and a soft blanket appeared in Magnus' hands. He covered up the tall frame of his boyfriend with the blanket, and placed a gentle kiss on the sleeping man's forehead. 

"I suppose I can wait until tomorrow," he whispered to himself as he turned off the lights and went to bed. 

(***) 

Magnus was pouring himself a nice, steaming cup of coffee the next morning when Alec came up from behind and wrapped his arms around him. He sighed and leaned into the embrace, savoring the fresh, soapy scent of his newly showered boyfriend. He'd heard Alec moving around earlier, going from room to room, likely looking for his phone, but he'd decided to wait patiently until the younger man joined him before asking the question that'd been sitting on his mind yesterday. 

"Sorry about last night," Alec said as he placed a quick kiss on the side of Magnus' neck. "I didn't realize I could fall asleep sitting up like that." 

"Well, some people consider my hands quite magical, you know." Magnus smiled lopsidedly. He started to turn around, but before he could completely face Alec, his fresh coffee was yanked out of his hands. "Hey, that's mi– " 

"Oh, coffee. Thanks!" Alec took a slow, drawn-out sip of the drink, and watched Magnus with a glint of mischief in his eyes. 

Magnus glared at his thieving boyfriend with mock outrage. "That was for you anyways," he responded breezily, resisting the urge to give the mug a magically enhanced push. He could be cruel, but he wasn't cruel enough to spill hot coffee onto Alec's clean shirt. Wait, on second thought ... 

"I forgot to mention," Alec added before Magnus could properly formulate his plan to get the younger man's t-shirt off. "I'm going to be working late at the Institute tomorrow so you don't need to wait up. Clary wanted some extra training, and I volunteered." 

"Tomorrow? That's Thursday, right?" There were not many times in Magnus' life when he had been caught unaware. And the times he had were mainly isolated to his earlier years. But Alec – no, Alec lying, well, that blindsided him. He stood silent for several seconds, unsure what he should say next. Should he call Alec out on it, saying he knew Alec was spending time with someone named Andy? Or should he play along with the story, and pretend he hadn't snooped on a phone that wasn't his? For reasons unknown to himself, he went with the latter. He shrugged noncommittally. "I have a client tomorrow anyways." 

He trusted Alec. If the Shadowhunter didn't want to reveal where he was going tomorrow night and with whom, then he probably had good reason. 

Alec's beaming smile was almost enough to erase all his doubts. The younger man wielded that much power over him, though Magnus was pretty sure Alec was completely oblivious of it. "Well, that works out then. How about we hang out Friday night?" 

All Magnus could do was nod, a little dazedly, in his opinion. Alec gave him another quick, coffee-tainted kiss before downing the rest of the beverage in a couple of swallows and heading out to grab his discarded gear. 

Magnus watched his boyfriend go, silently wondering if it was pride or fear that had prevented him from asking for the truth. And no, he wasn't jealous. He wasn't jealous at all. 

(***) 

Okay, who was he kidding? So he was maybe a little jealous. Or rather, jealous enough that he planned to Nancy Drew the crap of the whole mystery before he confronted Alec about it. That was what led him to initiate his fact-finding mission. He'd originally considered hitting up Isabelle at first, but he figured that her loyalty to her brother would likely overpower even his persuasive skills, so he'd opted for calling Clary instead. She was a part of their inner Shadowhunter circle, but just removed enough for him to grill for information. And she'd agreed without hesitation when he'd called earlier, which he took as a good sign. 

The Daily Grind was a new trendy coffee shop that had opened recently a couple blocks away from the loft. Magnus had been wanting to check it out for a while now, and so, he thought it the perfect place to meet up with Clary that afternoon. He'd just sat down and placed a non-fat vanilla bean latte on the table for the biscuit – and a half-sweet caramel macchiato for himself – when he caught a flash of red by the entrance. He waved Clary over. 

Clary smiled warmly at him when she saw her frothy drink. "Aww, thanks, Magnus!" she said as she sat down. 

"Anytime, my dear." He'd always had a soft spot for the girl. In a way, he considered her one of his own, especially after watching her grow up into the smart, strong, independent young woman that she was. Hopefully, he could rely on that relationship to get some of the information he needed today. 

"So, what's the occasion?" Clary asked after taking a moment to savor her beverage. 

Magnus watched with amusement as she tried to lick a bit of foam from her upper lip. She missed a spot, and he casually pointed to the spot on his own mouth to help her out. "Nothing, can't I just invite my favorite Shadowhunter out for coffee?" 

Clary's eyes narrowed. "I don't think I'm your favorite Shadowhunter, Magnus." 

"Well, you could be." 

"Uh-oh, what did Alec do?" 

Magnus shrugged, keeping his expression neutral but wondering if he was losing his touch. Either that, or Clary was way more observant than he'd initially assumed. He could usually mask his thoughts and emotions quite well when he wanted too. "Nothing. Why would you think that?" 

Clary leaned back a bit in her chair, the wariness not leaving her face. "I don't know. Just a hunch." 

To re-group, Magnus took a sit of his drink and watched his companion closely over the rim of his cup. He would have to approach this carefully; he didn't want to make a big fuss out of something that could potentially be nothing at all. A more subtle tactic was in order, he decided. "So, how's your Shadowhunter training going? Are they treating you well at that Institute? I know the Clave, and they have some very questionable methods of doing things." 

Clary's posture relaxed slightly at the question. "It's good," she said cheerily, and Magnus had a sneaking suspicion some of that had to do with a certain blond Shadowhunter. "It's different than what I'm used to, but in a good way. I'm learning lots." 

"You will let me know if they make you do anything you don't want, right, Biscuit? I've had enough dealings with the Clave to know a few tricks about dealing with them." He was genuinely concerned about Clary's well-being, especially after being thrown into this world so suddenly and unexpectedly, so his words came out easily. 

"Thanks, that's really nice of you, Magnus, but Jace, Izzy, and Alec have been good at easing me in. It might've been different without them, so I'm really grateful they're around." 

Magnus nodded, satisfied with the response. And it also gave him a nice segue. "A lot of late night training sessions with the Lightwood siblings, I gather." 

"Not really. We've have a few intense sessions, but they make sure to not scare me off. We remember to have fun too. I think Izzy and I are heading out for drinks tomorrow."   


This was the opening Magnus had been waiting for. "Alec too? He mentioned something about training with you guys tomorrow night." 

He anticipated Clary being all confused by his question, and had hoped that would lead him to asking if she'd noticed Alec acting differently. But that all changed when she froze momentarily with her drink halfway to her mouth. Then, she threw him one of her sunniest smiles and put down the mug. "Oh, yeah, Alec too. It took a bit of convincing, but he agreed to tag along." 

He stared at the redhead steadily. Curiouser and curiouser, as his old LSD-taking friend, Lewis Carroll, liked to say. Was Clary actually lying too, and covering for Alec? This was different. Of all people, he would've pegged Clary as the last one to be in on Alec's secrets. 

"I'm glad you convinced him. He can get a bit carried away with work sometimes, and he needs a break now and then," he decided to say. Whatever was happening was a bit more involved than he thought. One thing he'd learned about Clary over the years was that she was loyal – no, not just that, she was loyal _and_ stubborn, which was a bad combination for him. And if she was lying for Alec, then he had a feeling that he probably wouldn't get very far with her. 

He took another sip of his macchiato as consolation for the dead end. He supposed a vanilla latte wasn't too steep a price to pay to discover Clary's allegiances –and of course, for an hour of chatting and catching up with her. Still, it all meant he would have to figure out what was going on with his boyfriend by some other means. 

(***) 

This was getting ridiculous. No, wait, _he_ was getting ridiculous. How had he, Magnus Bane, a centuries-old warlock – _the_ High Warlock of Brooklyn, for heaven's sake – been reduced to slinking around in the dark after his boyfriend? He didn't know, but frankly, he didn't care. He had no shame. 

Thursday night had come quickly, and despite his original plan of perhaps visiting some old friends, he'd found himself sitting sulkily in his loft instead. After an hour of that, he'd huffed an exasperated breath and performed a locator spell to figure out where Alec was. It was all just to make sure his errant Shadowhunter was safe and sound, he'd rationalized, not because he wanted to know who this Andy person was and why Clary was covering for the both of them. 

His magic showed Alec making his way north through Prospect Park. That wasn't too surprising, considering the information he'd gotten – and hadn't gotten – from Clary. Even though a tiny rational-sounding voice in his head told him not to do it, he did it anyways: he opened a portal, and became _that_ boyfriend – the one who secretly followed his partner around and at whom people shook their disapproving heads. It was almost comical, if not a little pathetic. 

It wasn't that he distrusted Alec or that he was angry at the man; he knew Alec wouldn't intentionally endanger his heart, especially not when he'd given it with such reserve when they'd first gotten together. No, it was more that he was hurt, hurt that Alec hadn't opened up or shared with him what was going on. 

His magic kept him out of sight and unheard as he followed Alec up to Lafayette. After another block or two of rapid footsteps along a quiet street, Alec turned darted into a well-maintained, three-story building with a brick façade. Magnus looked on from across the street, puzzled. He didn't know anyone who lived here, and to the best of his recollection, he didn't think Alec did either. The area, Clinton Hill, was undergoing a revitalization of sorts, so he didn't consider it a bad neighborhood, but it wasn't overly affluent either. 

"Can you spare some change, sir?" 

Magnus jumped back half a step at the sudden figure that had appeared beside him. A man, several inches shorter than himself, with a scruffy beard and a wrinkled, oversized trench coat stood next to him, a paper cup extended from his hand. Christ, Magnus chided himself. He'd been so concentrated on watching Alec enter the building that he'd let his glamor slip. There was a reason he didn't do this for a living. He'd known some great sleuthing warlocks in his time, and he definitely wasn't one of them. 

"Uh, yeah, sorry, I didn't see you there. Here." He dug into his pocket for his wallet and pulled out the first bill he touched – a twenty. 

The stooped figure grinned thankfully, stained teeth –complete with a missing incisor – visible under the nearby streetlamp. "Thanks so much, buddy," he said in a raspy voice and shuffled away. 

Alone again, Magnus was at a loss as to what to do next. He waffled back and forth between calling it a night and going home, or waiting it out here and confronting Alec when he came back out. He made a contemplative sound and took stock of his surroundings. He stood outside an empty playground, complete with shadowed benches and an unobstructed view of the brick building of interest. He supposed the setup was too good not to take advantage of. 

"What are you doing, Magnus?" he mumbled to himself, even as he walked over to a bench, and sat down. "Curiosity didn't work out too well for the cat, and I'm not too sure it'll work out well for you either." 

And yet, he still found himself sitting like some misguided pet in the dark, watching and waiting for its master to come out. Cars drove by, late night joggers with dogs on leashes bounced across his field of view, and there he was, watching on like an idio – 

"Coffee?" 

Magnus swore his heart jumped out of his chest as he bolted upright and stared down at the steaming cup of coffee offered to him with wide, startled eyes. 

"Jeee-sus! Where the fuck did you come from?" he asked in a loud whisper as he took in the bushy bearded panhandler he'd just given some money to earlier. 

The man looked at him as if _he_ were the strange one. "From down the block. Thought I'd get you a coffee since it looked like you would be here a while. I wasn't trying to sneak up on you or nothing. You would've heard me if you weren't so distracted." 

Magnus waited a few seconds for his heart rate to get back under control before cautiously sitting back down beside the stranger. The man seemed mundane enough: unassuming, though a bit ragged and worse for wear, and completely human. After another moment of indecision, he took the coffee with a small 'thanks'. 

"So – " the stranger started. "Cheating wife?" 

"Huh?" 

The man angled his head toward the row of buildings Magnus had been watching earlier. "Cheating wife. Followed her here, did ya?" 

Magnus wasn't sure if he should dignify that with an answer. He leaned back on the bench, and took a sip of the coffee. The stuff wasn't half bad. "Something like that," he finally said, resigned to pass the time while he waited. It wasn't that he believe Alec would ever cheat on him; it was just that – 

Alright, maybe a small part of him had toyed with the idea. But it didn't mean it was true, he reminded himself. 

"I've been there, friend," the man said in his gravelly tone. "I had a steady job once. Was a short order cook at a diner over in Queens. Had a wife too, but she ran away with another guy. Took everything I had." 

Magnus cast an uneasy, sideways glance at his impromptu companion. Well, that was ... enlightening. 

"Truth is, buddy, you can't trust 'em," the man continued. "But take it from good ol' George, you'll land on your feet in the end. Look at me! I think I'm better off without her." 

"I'm hoping it won't come to that," Magnus returned conversationally. 

George chuckled and shook his head. "Good to be young and innocent, ain't it?" 

Magnus smiled a small, private smile. How surprised would George be if he found out that Magnus was not exactly the 'young' and 'innocent' man he appeared? Indeed, he'd thought he had become irredeemably debauched and jaded not too long ago, immune to the bright-eyed optimism that had crept around his periphery. But Alec had changed all that. After meeting the Shadowhunter, that belief about himself had flown out the metaphorical window. It had felt like he'd been re-introduced to life, and he'd begun to notice things in a completely different light. "I'll take that as a compliment," he decided to say. 

George sighed loudly. "Maybe you're right. I forget people can be good sometimes." After a brief pause, he stood up with a tired groan. "I guess I'll leave you be. Hope everything works out for you, buddy." 

Magnus nodded his thanks as he watched the man trudge away. He hoped everything worked out too, he mused as he drank some more coffee. He refused to think that he would be reduced to pining away like some scorned lover, deteriorating to the point where he lived in an oversized trench coat and bought coffee for strange men from panhandled money. 

Okay, now his thoughts were getting melodramatic, which wasn't a good sign. He tried to focus on something else while he waited, something totally unrelated to the outrageous scenarios his mind wanted to conjure up. The last thing he needed was to let his imagination dwell on what Alec was doing in there right now. 

Eventually, for lack of a better diversion, he started counting the number of red cars that passed by on Lafayette. He lost track of how long he sat there, but when the traffic had quieted and he was left holding an empty cup, he realized his butt had gone a bit numb. That, and there was an inordinate number of men in New York going through their mid-life, buy-a-red-car crisis. 

He stood, stretched his back out, and snapped his cup to the nearest garbage bin. That was when a flicker of movement came from the building he'd been watching. Alec came out and easily skipped down the front steps. He readjusted a backpack he'd slung over a shoulder, and after a quick look down the deserted streets, started walking toward Washington. Magnus remained rooted to the spot, frozen by indecision. Should he chase after the man? Or should he let him go, and pretend this whole spying escapade had never happened? He was so out of practice with this boyfriend thing. 

His choice was made for him when the tiny hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. An inexplicable shiver crawled its way down his spine. Magnus barely caught sight of the mass loping through the playground before he got a warning shot of magic off. The ball of concentrated power narrowly connected with its target, and although it was enough to elicit an angry growl, it wasn't enough to slow the creature's mad dash. 

Magnus focused in on the shape through the shadows, slightly stunned at what he saw. 

Hell hound. 

Magnus yelled out a warning. He saw Alec turn just in time to take a defensive stance as the beast charged at him. The Shadowhunter took the brunt of the impact with a backward roll that had him gracefully landing on his feet with a blade in hand. Eyes sharp and teeth bared, Alec met the creature head on, and as he dodged an attacking lunge from the hound, Magnus finally got his own feet moving. He ran toward the fray. The familiar tingle of his magic danced along his skin, little pinpricks of heat that nipped at his nerve endings in anticipation. 

Alec had dodged and attacked the beast at least three times before Magnus was close enough for a decent shot. The Shadowhunter had moved too fast for Magnus' eyes to track, and the adrenalin that pumped through his system wasn't exactly keeping him calm enough to analyze what was going on either. All he knew was that despite his earlier misgivings, the only thing that mattered now was that Alec stay safe. He could handle almost anything but losing his stubborn, too-mature-for-his-age boyfriend. 

When he was certain his aim would be true, he lashed out with his magic. Tendrils of blue latched onto the creature, whipping around the hounds neck and hindquarters. The beast growled, and yanked ferociously at the sudden loss of movement, almost pulling Magnus off his feet. But Magnus held on and dug his heels in as his muscles strained. 

If Alec had been surprised at his sudden appearance, he didn't show it. Ever the consummate professional, he saw the chance that Magnus had provided and leaped in for a fatal strike. The killing blow of the seraph blade into the hound's neck sent a shockwave of power that dissolved Magnus' magic and the hold he had on the creature. Magnus stumbled back a few steps as the beast fell heavily to the ground, all fight gone. Within seconds, the body started to disintegrate, leaving behind a pile of dust and two heavily breathing men in the abnormally still night. 

Magnus turned his gaze on Alec, unsure of what to say. But Alec didn't even look at him. Instead, the younger man ran over to where he'd dropped his backpack after the hound's first attack, his expression shadowed and unreadable under the streetlights. Alec stood over the torn bag, head bent at a defeated angle. That was when Magnus noticed the scraps of ripped paper that had fallen out of it. 

"Alec?" he asked softly as he walked over to the younger man. He scanned for any wounds he may have missed. "What's wrong? You okay?" 

Alec took a deep breath before letting his shoulders slump. "Yeah," he mumbled as he lowered himself to collect what scraps of paper he could. 

Automatically, Magnus followed suit to help. There was such sad aura around Alec that he decided to stay silent. He picked up several sheets of crumpled and dirtied paper and started to hand them back to the other man. He paused when he saw distinct lines of charcoal on the surface. 

"Alec, were you taking drawing lessons?" His brows drew together in confusion. 

Alec grabbed the destroyed sketches from his hands and stuffed them in the bag. There was an angry set to his mouth, tinted with a hint of disappointment. He didn't respond immediately, but after a few seconds of what looked like courage-gathering, he finally answered. "Yeah." 

"Why?" The question slipped out before Magnus could stop it. 

After another deep breath, Alec met his gaze for the first time that evening. "I just – I wanted to learn. I – " He stopped, as if not knowing how to piece together the right words. And then, "You'd mentioned you'd slept Michelangelo once, and I can't compare to someone like that. He probably painted you really nice drawings and stuff. I thought I could do the same. I mean, I know I'll never be at the same level, but I thought I would try, you know. And maybe give you a really nice gift and all that. So I asked Clary if she knew someone who could teach me, but now, all the work I've done is ruined." 

Magnus watched a gamut of emotions cross his boyfriend's beautiful face – from embarrassment to anger to resignation – and something warm flooded through his chest as the meaning of Alec's words sank in. This ... this had all been for him, he thought reverently. 

Without hesitation, he closed the space between them, and pulled the younger man in for a deep, soul-shattering kiss. Magnus felt Alec hold back at first, likely surprised by the action, but the Shadowhunter quickly and readily responded to Magnus' lips when he realized what was happening. Magnus managed a small smile as they kissed, loving the warmth, the taste, the completeness of his partner. There was no doubt about it: he could easily live in this moment forever. 

Sadly, they eventually had to pull apart, mainly for lack of air, and Magnus chuckled quietly at Alec's stunned expression. "Thank you," he said. "It's perfect." 

Alec's confusion didn't disappear. "For what? I didn't even get to give you anything." 

Magnus grabbed the other man's hand and pulled him in the direction of the loft. They started walking. "Oh, you gave me so much, Alec, foremost of which is a realization that I could actually love you more than I had before." 

"I love you too," Alec returned. 

Magnus beamed and interlocked their fingers. "Good, you can show me how much when we get back to the loft because I definitely intend to," he threw out wickedly. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and Michelangelo and I were never lovers. I didn't even really know him." 

Alec stopped, and looked at Magnus, eye wide. "What?" 

Magnus shrugged, feeling slightly chagrined at the confession. "I just name dropped him hoping it would get your attention." 

Magnus had always had a strong sense of self-preservation, and that sense tingled when Alec simply stood there and stared at him for an inordinate length of time. He began to feel like a kid who'd been caught red-handed with the cookie jar. Then, the younger man said, "Portal. Loft. Now, Magnus." 

"Why?" 

"Payback." 

"Payback?" 

"You totally lied to me, and I intend to make you pay. In private." 

At Alec's quick response, Magnus had never created a portal faster. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! It was fun to write, mainly because of where the idea came from. If you're interested in how this story came to be, check out my tumblr - https://kayefraser.tumblr.com/ . This whole story started from something in my real life, and I didn't want to subject unsuspecting readers to my uninteresting self here. :)


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